Results 20,381-20,400 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 291 and 305 together. On Budget Day, I announced the first general increase in the weekly rates of payment since 2009. A €5 increase in the weekly rates of payment for all social welfare payments will commence from March, with proportionate increases for qualified adults and those on reduced rates of payment (including jobseekers on age-related...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Personal Micro Credit Scheme (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: A Personal Micro Credit Scheme providing for small scale loans by Credit Unions to borrowers who have difficulty accessing low cost credit has been piloted in 30 credit unions. The loans under the scheme range from €100 to a maximum of €2,000, and have a maximum interest rate of 12% per annum. Over 1,200 loans were drawn down under the Scheme during the pilot with an overall...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Data (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Expenditure on the State Pension Contributory and Non-Contributory over the past ten years, including the 2016 provision in the Revised Estimates, is provided in tabular form below. Year State Pension (Contributory) Expenditure - €m State Pension (Non Contributory) Expenditure - €m 2007 2,754.7 920.2 2008 3,117.9 972.8 2009 3,367.7 1,000.5 2010 3,451.5 977.3 2011 3,622.7...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Applications (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy has confirmed that this question relates to jobseeker's applications. Where a person makes a claim for a jobseeker's payment, they must satisfy the deciding officer as to their identity. Holders of a Public Services Card (PSC) do not need to produce any further documentation in relation to identity. Where an applicant does not yet hold a PSC, they can be asked to produce other...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Applications (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: An application for state pension contributory (SPC) was received from the person concerned on 10 May 2016. The application was registered and an acknowledgement automatically issued by SMS text message on 12 May 2016. SMS text messages are now used as standard for application acknowledgements where the applicant provides a mobile telephone number. The applicant concerned highlighted a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Data (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The Government has provided €30.3 million for the ENP scheme in 2016. ENP payments are made at the discretion of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Applications (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The outstanding documentation requested from the client concerned on 3rdDecember 2015 has not yet been received by the Department. As a result the application was subsequently closed on 21 December 2015. If the client wishes to make a new Rent Supplement Application, they can do so but should provide the bank statements and the information requested with their application. I trust that...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Expenditure (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The overall concern in recent years has been to protect the value of weekly social welfare rates. Expenditure on pensions, at approximately €7 billion, is the largest block of expenditure in my Department in the Estimate for 2016, representing approximately 35% of overall expenditure. Due to demographic changes, my Department's spending on older people is increasing year on year....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pensions Payments (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The State pension (contributory) SPC is a very valuable benefit and is the bedrock of the Irish pension system. Therefore, it is important to ensure that those qualifying have made a sustained contribution to the Social Insurance Fund over their working lives. To ensure that the individual can maximise their entitlement to a State pension, all contributions paid or credited over their...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The farm assist scheme provides support for farmers on low incomes and is similar to jobseeker's allowance. Farm assist recipients retain the advantages of the jobseeker's allowance scheme such as the retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes. The 2016 Revised Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of €85 million on the farm assist scheme....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Training Support Grant (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, JobPath is an employment activation service that supports people who are long-term unemployed and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment. The person concerned commenced the JobPath service last July. She has undertaken a course to gain a Diploma in Professional Counselling and is currently working on a written...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: An application for carer's allowance (CA) was received from the person concerned on 31 May 2016. It is a condition for receipt of a CA that the person being cared for must have a disability whose effect is that they require full-time care and attention. This is defined as requiring from another person, continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in connection with normal...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: My Department's Budget Day Estimate for 2017 is €19.854 billion, compared to the 2016 Revised Estimates provision of €19.625 billion. Most of my Department's schemes are demand-led in nature. This demand is driven by demographic trends and economic factors such as developments in the labour market. The estimates are constructed using data on trends in recipient numbers,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme Payments (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The new measures announced in the budget in relation to the farm assist scheme will take effect in March 2017. Those affected by the measures will have their entitlements automatically reassessed using the information held by the Department on their current claim. As you will appreciate, many of the operational issues have yet to be finalised including how to deal with those on farm assist...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Payments (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: There is an option to pay Illness Benefit through the Post Office by way of Electronic Information Transfer (EIT). My Department is considering whether to offer this option to clients currently receiving cheque payments. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 4thOctober 2016. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question will be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Expenditure (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The rent supplement scheme is currently supporting some 50,700 recipients for which the Government has provided €267 million for in 2016. The on-going improvement in the economy, as persons exit the scheme through activation, and transfers to social housing, has led to reductions in scheme numbers and expenditure on rent supplement which peaked in 2010. Since 2014, the Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned is currently a student attending a full time third level college course. The person was in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance which ceased when she commenced her college course in September 2016. I understand the person did not apply for the Back to Education Allowance and that this scheme cannot be applied for retrospectively.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The Government has provided €30.3 million for the ENP scheme in 2016. There is no automatic entitlement to a payment. ENPs...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Yield (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The data requested by the Deputy is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.